The present invention relates to readily installed hand operated side wheels that greatly extend the usefulness of scooter boards used in physical education classes.
A scooter board is a molded plastic device having a square planar upper surface with caster wheels mounted at each lower corner. The device has a reinforcing rim depending from the edges and molded bracing on the lower surface. Optionally it may have handles on opposing sides. Scooter boards are widely used in lower grade physical education programs. Sizes are relatively standardized with generally two sizes being available. Typically they will be about 12 inches square, or about 12xc3x9716 inches with handles. The boards will have a hole in the center for stacking on a short pole for storage. The user sits on the device and propels him or herself using the feet and/or hands pushing against the floor. Links are available to couple two or more of the boards together for cooperative play.
While not based on scooter boards, other devices are known in which a sitting occupant can drive the device with using the hands or hands and feet. Examples are seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,647 to Nagayama and U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,470 to Lin. However, both of these devices are relatively complex, bulky, and expensive and cannot be broken down for other uses or storage. Each has a seat and foot rest with a pair of side mounted wheels having crank-type handles that can be used for propulsion. A somewhat similar device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,630 to Nelson. A more complex hand propelled wagon-like apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,105 to Summo. Armstrong, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,181 shows a skateboard with side wheels but this is foot propelled from a standing position.
No scooter board version has been available that enables rapid hand propulsion enabling spins and turns, as well as forward or rearward movement. Neither has any simple attachment been available to readily convert a scooter board to such a device until the present.
The present invention is an easily installed or removed attachment for a scooter board that enables hand propulsion and ready maneuverability. The attachment has a frame formed from a rigid strap with end portions that are turned up at right angles for a short distance. The end portions each have a short, outwardly oriented axle. A pair of side wheels are installed on the axles. Each wheel has an outwardly oriented handle that serves as a crank to enable hand propulsion. The wheels and upstanding end portions of the frame are sized so that when the attachment is installed on a scooter board the wheels will contact the floor below the plane of the casters on the scooter board. A means is provided with which the device may be attached at the central opening of the scooter board. This may be a simple tapped hole centrally located in the frame. A bolt and washer passing through a bushing placed in the central hole of the scooter board unites the board and side wheel assembly. Indexing means are also provided on the frame to engage one of the reinforcing ribs on the underside of the scooter board and prevent rotation of the side wheel attachment. The indexing means is typically a pair spaced apart slotted blocks permanently attached to the frame. The slots are sized to snugly engage an opposing reinforcing rib.
The side wheel device consists of only six parts: the frame, two wheels, two axle caps and the attachment bushing and bolt. The wheel handles may optionally also be removed to reduce package size. This allows disassembled shipping in a minimal sized package and simple assembly at the point of use.
A simple coupling may be provided to enable two scooter boards to be attached to one another at the handles. This provides a leg and foot rest for the user. Another accessory may be an extended rail having a caster at one end and a clamp allowing attachment to the handle of a scooter board at the other end. A short cross piece adjacent the caster location provides a foot rest for the user.
It is an object of the invention to provide a set of side wheels for a scooter board that enables the user to hand propel the board.
It is another object to provide scooter board side wheels that may be readily installed or removed without altering the scooter board in any manner.
It is a further object to provide side wheels for a scooter board that may be shipped disassembled and compactly packaged yet may be readily assembled for use with minimum tool requirements.
These and many other objects will become readily apparent upon reading the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.